Just try to look away from this Alaska bear cam: ‘A live stream of a live stream’

The Kansas City Star

14 July 2017

Explore.org has set up bear cams in Katmai National Park in southern Alaska that are showing 24 hours of bears. One shows bears trying to catch salmon in a river. Just try to look away. Explore.org screengrab

Conde Nast Traveler nails the description: “Guess you could call it a live stream of a live stream.”

It is one of two bear cams set up inside the national park, but by far the most popular. Last year alone it attracted more than 22 million views, according to KDLG public radio in Dillingham, Ala., and it has just hit its prime viewing season.

This year the cam is set up at the noisy, bustling falls on Brooks River, where the salmon are leaping out of the water and flying through the air like sugar-buzzed gymnasts.

“Every year over a hundred Brown Bears descend on a mile long stretch of Brooks River to feast on the largest Sockeye Salmon run in the world,” the webcam’s YouTube description says.

This is the sixth year for the park’s popular bear cams, which show live footage from popular bear hangouts in the park and attract thousands of viewers daily, KDLG reports. The bear viewing lasts into the fall.

About 2,200 bears live in Katmai National Park, so there’s almost always something going on.

The park provides the webcams with Explore.org, which describes itself as “the largest live nature cam network on the planet.”

A multi-cam view of bear activity is also available on the Explore.org website, proving that nonstop images of adorable bear cubs frolicking in unspoiled nature is hypnotically soothing.

Bear Cam. Nature’s Xanax.

But things got a little heated a few days ago when one of bear cams caught two bears, nicknamed Grazer and Beadnose, squaring off with lots of growls on the river bank.

Just two mama bears being protective of their cubs, park officials said.

“People are really excited and interested in seeing the bears in their natural environment,” park superintendent Mark Sturm told KDLG.